Chapter 1141 Learning
Austro-Hungarian Command.
At this time, the headquarters has become a vegetable market. Telegrams and phone calls from all directions are ringing in the headquarters. Telegraph receivers and telephone operators are reporting information from all directions at the top of their lungs.
Changes in the front line, troops requesting artillery support, Serbia pushing back somewhere, or urging war from the direction of Vienna, etc., messy information gathered at Potiorek's headquarters.
It can be said that Potiorek is receiving new information every moment, and has to make corresponding judgments in a short time and then issue orders.
The atmosphere in the entire Austro-Hungarian army headquarters was very tense, and the sound of artillery fire coming from time to time made the headquarters even more depressing.
"Reporting to the general, the 104th Infantry Brigade directly under the Fifth Group Army has captured the town of Antale and is advancing towards the village of Moka."
Potiorek: "Very good, let them seize the village of Moka before ten o'clock and advance towards Zladipol."
"General, there is a telegram from Vienna. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is asking us about the situation on the battlefield."
Today, the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire’s army is mainly in charge of Crown Prince Rudolf. The situation today is very different from the previous life. In the previous life of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, because Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, Franz could only watch every move of the battle in person. This was very important to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. An old man over eighty years old is obviously not very friendly.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire in this time and space was much stronger. Crown Prince Rudolf could share the pressure of Franz. Although Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, he was not killed. Although he could not directly participate in the war, he could still participate in military decision-making from the rear.
Potiorek said to the correspondent: "Call back to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Our army will have unimpeded movement in Serbia and we will ensure that we reach the gates of Belgrade within three days."
So far, the war is still under Potiorek's control and developing in the direction he expected.
During this period, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had all the advantages. In addition to the local legions in Bosnia, Potiorek also had two relatively elite army groups from the empire.
They are the Second Army and the Fifth Group respectively. The Second Army has four corps and five divisions, while the Fifth Army has two corps and three brigades.
The weapons, equipment and material reserves of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were far superior to those of the Serbian army.
Of course, there is a big gap between the Austro-Hungarian Empire's Fifth Army and the Second Army, especially when dealing with the Serbian army, which shows an obvious lack of experience.
The commander-in-chief of the Serbian campaign is Marshal Putnik, a traditional Serbian soldier who participated in the Serbian-Turkish War twice and later the Serbia-Bulgaria War. He had just experienced the first and second Balkan Wars before. He has an excellent resume, having gone through several battles.
In comparison, Potiorek seemed a bit unremarkable. He was mainly favored by Franz and the Austro-Hungarian Chief of General Staff Conrad. As for war, he first had working experience in the General Staff. , later became General of the Imperial Artillery.
He joined the Austro-Hungarian Empire's General Staff in 1879. At this time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had no war for him to participate in, so this was the first time Potiorek commanded a large-scale war.
Now it seems that Potiorek's performance is quite qualified. With the cooperation of the Second Army and the Fifth Army, the Austro-Hungarian army has entered Serbia and seized some strategic locations.
Potiorek, whose mouth was already dry, took a sip from the tea on the table and moistened his throat.
The tea used in this cup of tea is obviously imported from East Africa. Since East Africa produces and exports tea on a large scale, Central European countries such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire have obtained a source of high-quality and cheap tea.
And because of distance advantages and advances in preservation technology, Europe can now drink green tea of quite good quality.
It is August now, which is summer in Europe. Drinking a sip of sweet and bitter green tea can greatly relieve inner anxiety and have a good refreshing effect. The entire Austro-Hungarian army is now popular to drink tea in summer and coffee in winter. new trend.
Most of the tea and coffee in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were imported from East Africa. The quality and taste of tea in East Africa was only slightly worse than that of the Far Eastern Empire, but higher than that of India. It was a mid-range product. As for coffee, East Africa has the highest quality coffee origin in the world. , is a hot commodity all over the world, and there is never a shortage of market.
Of course, this is also related to the advertising promotion of East Africa. East Africa controls many newspapers and other news media in European countries such as Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which provides great convenience for the promotion of East African products.
Potiorek put down his teacup and picked up the flag representing the 104th Infantry Brigade and planted it in front of Moka Village.
Only then did he notice that the members of the East African Military Observer were still around. He said to Wang Lade, "How do you feel?"
Wang Lade: "I did learn a lot of knowledge, which cannot be learned in the classroom, or if you have not experienced a real war, many things are easily ignored."
Potiorek nodded, looking like a coward and said casually: "War command is not a simple matter, but a complex art. I think you have also discovered through this half-day observation that light The information to be processed is very huge, and the battlefield environment must be mastered in detail, and the place name, terrain, fortifications, transportation, opposing troops, etc. of every place on the battlefield must be remembered as much as possible. If you are not careful, you may be killed. It may cause huge changes in the battlefield situation..."
It must be said that as a person from the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Potiorek is quite capable. He handles battlefield information very well and can remember a lot of battlefield information more accurately.
And through this information, he can think about the changes in the battlefield situation more flexibly and make corresponding decisions, which has indeed greatly improved the vision of the students in the East African Military Observer Group.
Of course, to put it bluntly, Potiorek is very good at talking about war on paper and can talk about many problems clearly. This is probably the main reason why he can gain the trust of Franz and Conrad.
However, the young students of the East African Military Observer Group do not understand this. They are just fledgling students with limited horizons, so they can be fooled by Potiorek's words.
However, if it is some experienced veterans of the East African Army, this problem will not occur. Although Potiorek speaks clearly, it does not mean that he can convince many colleagues.
After all, the outcome of the battlefield still depends on the correctness of the decision. Although Potiorek gave a reasonable reason, it may not be the best choice, especially since the Serbian army on the other side has rich combat experience and the command level of those Serbian veterans is very high.
In this case, even if the decision is correct, the enemy cannot be completely led by Potiorek. They can even gain an advantage on the battlefield through their rich experience and strategic vision. At this time, it is not about who makes fewer mistakes, but who is better.
Those Serbian veterans have all passed the test of war and have risen to their current positions with real military merits, so there is almost no possibility of making stupid mistakes. On the contrary, the commanders of the Austro-Hungarian army are much worse.
Of course, this situation has not been reflected on the battlefield yet. After all, the war has just begun. No matter how powerful the Serbian veterans are, it is impossible for them to judge the tactical intentions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at once. In addition, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is strong and can adopt more radical tactics than the Serbian army.
Of course, these are still far from the East African Military Observer Group members. The skills that Potiorek has shown now are enough for them to learn for a while.
Potiorek said: "Just letting you watch is really not a good experience. Now the war is going smoothly, so you can participate. I can also give more suggestions based on your performance."